Harper's Ferry sentinel. [volume] (Harpers Ferry, W. Va.) 1887-1902, 1887-12-31
HUNTING IN THE SOUTH.



Pelicans. Night Hunts Amer
Alligators. The sairians' Teeth.
An individual described Is the Cap
tain said to a Newport ky.) corresponds
emit of the New York Sur.
used to shovel oysters for about
eight months in the year on the lower
BAYOU La Forche, barrel them and send
them around to New Orleans, where they
brought me from 6 to 10 bits a barrel.
The Gulf oyster, as rule, is small but
they are almost as plenty as pebbles.
For fifteen miles from the coast every
little bayou in 1ouisianais an oyster bed.
Where the stream is more than four feet
deep the oysters are taken with dredges
in the usual way, but that is such slow
process that the shallow beds are more
favored. Here one has but to wade out
into the water with scoop or a fork
and shovel his dugout full in no time.
of course when they only bring IS cents
to $3.50 a barrel in the New Orleans
market there is not much money in the
business; but little money goes long.
way TO the bayou dWeller.
ssWhile working the oyster beds was
day or two each week pelican fishing
You take long hnea sea grass line;..
rig it out with about thirty hooks set in
punches of threes, dashed back to back;
keep the line on the water by means of
floats, and bait your hooks with fry.
The pelican sails over the water, sees the
fish, swoops down and pouches fish and
hook. He thinks he has got sting ray
in his pouch and tries to spit it out; but
it won't 90. Then he makes up his
mind to takeit away with him; but sud
denly the line brings him mp short and
he falls into the water with a splash,
when he founders around until ] paddle
ont an / take him aboard with me. d
There is bunch of fine, hair like
feathers in each wing of the pelican
which bring in their rough state 50 cents
a bunch, or 20 cents for each bird.
When had time ! used to skin the
whole bird, stuff him, mount him, and
get from 30 to $11 for him.
In the summer Of 1883 reached the
coast one morning at seven o'clock.
There was high wind and a heavy swell
-on the water, and hundreds of the birds
were following the waves. They fly at
distance of about yard from the,
water, rising and falling with the waves
as regularly as though they were floating
upon them. When fish shows himself
the bird will drop, scoop up the victim,
sling it into its pouch and go on until it
has load of ten pounds or more Of
fish.
We'll, sir, there were so many of them
that did not trouble to set the line,
but padded out among them, and before
the day was done I had settled thirty
eight of them, killing them with a blue
What is q blue Whistler2 y
You put heavy charge of powder
into your cylinder bore shotgun, cover it
with wad; on top of that you ram in
five buckshot, another light wad, five
more buckshot, and still i've; another
tight wad, and you have blue whist
ler.
Is not buckshot big dose for d
bird2n
I. Not for pelican. YOU have to take
them breast on in order not to injure the
wings; and, like ducks breast, the
pelican's front will turn a light load of
lead. Well, as was saying, it took me
ali night and most of next day to strip
and pack the feathers; but as I got $25
for the lot did not begrudge the work.
But that was a big day. Sometimes,
when the oysters were out of season, it
seemed as though eFerYth thing went wrong
] might paddle around all night and,
never find q gator, and keep my lines
set all day without catching 4 bird.
Often and often / have been SO poor that
! had to paddle out into rice field,
gather peck or SO of the green rice and
eat it boiled without any other seasoning
than q pint of salt water thrown into the
pot. Sometimes could get nothing but
pelican meat It tastes to me like
spoiled fish
THERE'S moneyin gator hunting, but,
taken altogether, it is hard work. Have
you ever padded q pirogue2 The first
time man steps into pIrogue it ducks
away from under him and leaves him
fioundering in the water so smoothly
that he can't help remembering the
thing It is acanoe followed out of
SINGLE cypress log, and is so light that the
weight Of a man hardly forces it below
the surface at all. It practically slides
over the water, and hence is the best boat
made for shadows.
As soon as it grew dusk would take
my rifle and little dark lantern, which
j bought in New Orleans for rs cents,
and, after seating myself on the bottom
OF the pircgue, paddle up the bayou,
flashing the eye of my lantern upon
either shore as I passed. When the light
would strike gator it was only neces
lsary to keep the flash in his eyes and he
was blind as a bat. Not knowing which
way to move to escape the danger, he
would not move at all until sent bull j.